2008 Call to Action Topics:

Milwaukee Mountain Biking Alert

Two events are coming up this next week related to mountain biking and the Milwaukee river corridor/mountain bike trails.

MKE RIVER CLEAN-UP
Saturday, April 19th
9am meet at Hubbard Park

Join the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and local mountain bikers to help during Milwaukee's annual river clean-up. Not only will we be fishing trash out of the river and picking up litter from the woods, we'll be demonstrating how mountain bikers can be good environmental stewards who are concerned not just for the trails but for the overall environmental integrity of the Milwaukee River corridor.

MKE MNT BIKE VISIONING SESSION
Monday, April 21st
Stonefly Brewing, 735 E. Center St
Meeting 7-8:30pm

Milwaukee's METRO Mountain Bikers and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin will share information about what is in the works with the Milwaukee River corridor, particularly regarding the mountain bike trails. As plans are drafted which will determine future uses of this corridor, we must have a solidified voice in advocating for mountain biking to be included in the plan. Attend this meeting to learn about the current issues and help to formulate a vision for mountain biking along the Milwaukee river.

With questions, contact: Shea Schachameyer, 414 / 292-6033 or shea@bfw.org. Additional information can be found on the following websites:

Milwaukee River Work Group: http://www.protectmilwaukeeriver.org/
Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers: http://www.mkeriverkeeper.org/milwaukeerivercleanup/index.html
METRO Mountain Bikers: http://www.metromountainbikers.com/

Please fill out the DNR State Trail Pass Survey

If you have purchased a 2008 state trail pass, please take a moment to fill out this survey. The DNR needs your input as a bicyclist. They will use this data to make future decisions regarding trails, maintenance and funding.

Make you voice heard today!!

Support Bike Lanes on Capitol Drive Reconstruction

The Village of Shorewood and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be reconstructing 1.2 miles of E. Capitol Drive in the Village of Shorewood from Estabrook Parkway to Lake Drive. All pavement, curb and gutter, and sidewalk will be replaced as part of the project. Streetscaping elements and street lights will also be incorporated into the proposed plan of improvement.

We need you to contact the Village of Shorewood and WisDOT to encourage them to include bicycle accommodations as part of this project. After speaking with the DOT, it is possible to include bike lanes if the current roadway width is kept. There have been many bicycle crashes on this stretch of roadway which further emphasizes the need for bike lanes. It is also mainly a commercial corridor in which bike lanes would encourage more bicyclists to travel to and along this area having a positive economic and community impact. Finally, this 1.2 miles can serve and an east west connection between two major bike ways, Lake Drive and the Oak Leaf trail.

Currently the design consultants are developing several alternatives for this roadway design and none include bike lanes. The next time for a public meeting is May 6th, where the consultants will present the preferred roadway design. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to contact Shorewood and the DOT NOW so bike lanes will be included in the preferred roadway design.

Please contact:

• Village Manager, Chris Swartz, cswatrz@villageofshorewood.org
• Village President, Guy Johnson, presidentjohnson@villageofshorewood.org
• WisDOT SE Region Bike and Ped Coordination, Jill Moretek Glenzinski, jill.mrotekglenzinski@dot.state.wi.us

Help Establish the Seymour-New London Trail as a Regional Bicycle Connector Trail

Will the Seymour to New London Trail in east central Wisconsin be developed as a straight, flat, 22.8-mile isolated ATV trail, or will it be the future connection creating a regional bicycle trail network encompassing the WIOUWASH, Fox River, Mountain-Bay, and Friendship state trails – a northeast Wisconsin treasure in terms of environmental preservation, recreation, tourism, and alternative transportation?

This issue has yet to be resolved. The chairman of the Outagamie County Property, Airport, Recreation and Economic Development Committee said Tusday, Feb. 26, that this is likely the toughest decision to face the committee, but that a decision will need to be made soon.

Acknowledgement has been made that ATV use of the trail is incompatible with other uses. Individuals and families hiking and biking on a 10- to 12-foot wide trail with ATV traffic going both directions would definitely be at risk.

The committee and the Outagamie County Board Supervisors need to hear your opinions before a wonderful opportunity slips away. This is a crucial time for the silent majority to be heard. Whether you are an Outagamie County resident, or one of the many who would access this trail from outside the county, your opinion is valuable.

Please write, call, or email today. Outagamie County Board information can be accessed at here, or by calling the county clerk at 920/832-5077.

Write to:

Dean M. Culbertson
Property, Airport, Recreation, and Economic Development Committee Chairman
N824 Brookview Drive
Hortonville WI 54944

Or call:715/757-5511

Thank you for your support.

Vickie Milde
President, Fox Cities Greenways, Inc.

Call to Reject AB600

2007 Assembly Bill 600 has been introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature. If it becomes law, it will make significant changes in the composition of the Governor's State Trails Council which represents all types of trail recreation in Wisconsin.

Currently the law does not provide for specific designations for members. The law designates nine members but leaves it up to the Council to represent specific user groups. The user groups or activities currently represented are:

• Ice Age Trail
• Off Highway Vehicle
• Equestrian
• Department of Transportation
• Trail Users with Disabilities
• Nordic Skiing
• Water Trails
• Snowmobiles
• Bicycles

AB 600 seeks to increase the number of representatives from nine to eleven and specifies that four of them will be the following motorized user groups:

• All-Terrain Vehicle users
• Snowmobile Users
• Users of motor vehicles with 4 wheels that are manufactured principally for off-highway use
• Users of motorcycles that are manufactured principally for off-highway use

It is interesting to note that the bill is silent with regard to non-motorized user groups. Only four user groups are protected – all motorized.
The 2005-2010 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) assesses the supply, demand and participation rates of outdoor recreation in Wisconsin. According to the latest SCORP report, motorized outdoor recreation participants represent a much smaller percentage of users than non-motorized users. Consider the percent of participants for the following activities:

Using these statistics, it is clear that if a separate representative is designated for off-road motorcycling, all other activities that have a higher percentage of participants should be represented.
What can you do:

• Call, email and write your legislators.  Ask them not to support AB 600.
• Get involved with groups representing non-motorized trail users.
• Show up at public forums when your interests are in jeopardy.
• Send letters to your local newspapers.

In Support of a Study Committee on Non-Motorized Trails

On April 11, 2007, the Governor's Wisconsin State Trail Council passed a resolution in favor of the creation of a study committee to gather, discuss and advance proposals that will result in legislation designed to create a new source of funding for non-motorized trails in Wisconsin.

According to the 2005-2010 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), the vast majority of outdoor recreation in Wisconsin involves non-motorized activities, with bicycling being near the top of the list. Yet funds for non-motorized trail maintenance have decreased from $2,200 per mile to just $800 per mile.

Recently, a committee studying the economic impact of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in Wisconsin was approved, and the results of the committee are widely quoted by motor-sports advocates for the promotion and expansion of ATV use on public lands.

A limited number of legislative study committees are formed each year. The formation of these committees is controlled by Joint Legislative Council, which is co-chaired by Senator Fred Risser (26th Senate District) and Representative Steve Wieckert. (57th Assembly District).

If you agree that non-motorized trail users should be given the same consideration as our motorized counterparts, please contact your Representative and Senator today and tell them to support the current resolution of the Governor's State Trail Council for the creation of a study committee on non-motorized trails.

To find your legislators, please click here: http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/

Complete Streets - Update for Action 6/19/07

On Wednesday, June 13, Congressman Jim Oberstar introduced H.R. 2701.
It's the transportation component of the climate change legislation package the Democratic House leadership is assembling. The bill is currently being discussed and negotiated by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but could move forward in about a week.

Actual Rescissions and Complete Streets language in HR 2701:

SEC. 252. DISTRIBUTION OF RESCISSIONS.

(a) In General- Any unobligated balances of amounts that are appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund for a fiscal year, and apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act and that are rescinded after such date of enactment shall be distributed within each State (as defined in section 101 of such title) among all programs for which funds are apportioned under such chapter for such fiscal year, to the extent sufficient funds remain available for obligation, in the ratio that the amount of funds apportioned for each program under such chapter for such fiscal year, bears to the amount of funds apportioned for all such programs under such chapter for such fiscal year.

(b) Treatment of Transportation Enhancement Set-Aside and Funds Suballocated to Substate Areas- Funds set aside under sections 133(d)(2) and 133(d)(3) of title 23, United States Code, shall be treated as being apportioned under chapter 1 of such title for purposes of subsection (a).

SEC. 253. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING USE OF COMPLETE STREETS DESIGN TECHNIQUES.

It is the sense of Congress that in constructing new roadways or rehabilitating existing facilities, State and local governments should employ policies designed to accommodate all users, including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and people of all ages and abilities, in order to—
(1) serve all surface transportation users by creating a more interconnected and intermodal system;
(2) create more viable transportation options; and
(3) facilitate the use of environmentally-friendly options, such as public transportation, walking, and bicycling.
 
Congressman Oberstar now needs our help. He's asked us to fax short letters of support to him and to Rep. John Mica, the Republican head of the T&I Committee. Read below.

A couple of provisions in this bill would benefit the bicycling community and our industry.

The main one is a provision that requires rescissions (the federal recapture of funds that have already been sent to the states) be applied evenly among the various transportation programs. This would stop states from gutting their transportation enhancements (and also the congestion mitigation and air quality program) as they regularly do. In the last rescissions process, more than $200 million was taken back from transportation enhancements funding: that's the equivalent of three full months of nationwide spending!

The other provision is a Sense of Congress supporting complete streets policies. As a Sense of Congress, it's nonbinding, but it's a start and a step in the right direction. Remember that Complete Streets policies require departments of transportation to address the needs of bicyclists, cyclists, and transit users whenever they build or perform major rehabs of roads. A favorable vote will speed the process towards an actual federal Complete Streets policy and would help make bicycling safer and more convenient.

We need you to write a short note of support and email or fax it to Congressman Oberstar and to Congressman John Mica of Florida (the Republican leader of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee who is opposing Mr. Oberstar's rescissions provision). By weighing in now, we can alert the leaders of this key committee that we're paying attention, that we support the core components of HR 2701, and that we're concerned about the disproportionate loss of bike project funding through rescissions.

Contact the sponsors:
Congressman Mica's fax: (202) 226-0821
Congressman Oberstar's fax: (202) 225-0699

Atached here is suggested text. Feel free to add or edit as you see fit.

back to top

Help Save the Stewardship Fund - June 2007

Along with saving the breathtaking views along many of our favorite biking roads and ensuring quick “escape routes” out of our cities by slowing urban sprawl, the Stewardship program has created hundreds of miles of dedicated bike trails across the state.  The Hank Aaron Trail in downtown Milwaukee, the Great River Road Trail along the Mississippi, the Green Circle Trail in Stevens Point and almost all of our state rails-to-trails were made possible by the Stewardship Fund.    
This summer our lawmakers in Madison are in heated debates over the future of the Stewardship Fund.  Some argue that the Stewardship program is a luxury we can no longer afford.  Others say that we’ve done enough already; our job of protecting Wisconsin’s special places is done; our parks and trail systems are good enough.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP!

Contact your lawmakers today and tell them to support the Governor’s proposal to renew and strengthen the Stewardship Fund. 

That means:

1. Funding the Stewardship program at $105 million a year to keep pace with skyrocketing land values and inflation.
   
   
2. Extending Stewardship through 2020.
   
   
3. Continuing to invest in local and state trails for bicyclists and other silent sports enthusiasts.

Call your legislators today at 1-800-362-9472 or write them at:

• Senators, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882
• Representatives whose last names begin with the letters A-L
  P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI 53708-8952
• Representatives whose last names begin with the letters M-Z
  P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708-8953

back to top

---

Get Involved in Sheboygan County

Sheboygan County has received a $25 million grant to create a plan and infrastructure to convert as many motorized trips to non-motorized trips as possible.  The BFW will be involved in this process by completing a county wide Safe Routes to School plan and running a Bike To Work Week campaign. 

back to top